Dental Glossary

Abrasion
    Removal of tooth structure due to rubbing and scraping (e.g. incorrect brushing method) 

Abscess
    A collection of pus. Usually forms because of infection. 

Abutment
    A tooth or tooth structure which is responsible for the anchorage of a bridge or a denture. 

Amalgam
    A silver filling material. 

Anesthetic
    An agent that causes temporary loss of sensation/feeling. 

Anterior
    The front position. 

Apex
    The end of the root. 

Asepsis
    No micro-organism. 

Attrition
    Wear of teeth due to activities such as chewing. 

Bitewing
    A kind of dental x-ray which is taken with the teeth bite together. The main function of this kind of x-ray is to detect cavity in between teeth and height of bone support. 

Bleaching
    Whitening of teeth. 

Bridge
    A prosthesis which is fixed inside the mouth to replace missing teeth. 

Bruxism
    Teeth grinding. 

Canine
    The third tooth from the middle of the jaw. There are totally 4 of them. They are the longest teeth in human. 

Canker sore
    An ulceration with yellow base and red border in mouth. It can be caused by trauma or herpes simplex virus. 

Caries
    Tooth decay. 

Cavity
    A hole on the tooth. 

Cast
    A model of teeth. 

Cementation
    The process of "glue" the appliance/prosthesis on the associated area. 

Chlorhexidine
    An anti-microbial agent. It is available in many forms such as gels and rinses. It is an effective agent in controlling gum diseases.

Clasp
    A metal arm extends from a removable partial denture. It helps to hold on to natural tooth structure and thus provide anchorage for the denture. 

Cold sore
    An ulcer or blister on lip. A form of herpes simplex. 

Composite
    White filling. 

Cross-bite
    An abnormal bite relationship of upper and lower jaw. The lower teeth/tooth align toward the check/ lip side more than the upper teeth/tooth. 

Crown (porcelain/plastic/metal)
    A crown is almost like a "cap" on a tooth. It covers the tooth partially or totally above the gum to restore its function and outlook.

Decay
    The rotten part of the tooth. 

Dentistry
    A branch of medicine that involves diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of any disease concern about teeth, oral cavity, and associated structures. 

Dentition
    The position, type, and number of teeth in upper and lower jaw. 

Denture (Immediate/complete/partial) (overdenture, temporary)
    An artificial object to replace missing teeth and their neighboring structures. There are many different types of denture to satisfy different treatment requirements and patient preferences. 

Denturist
    The person who specializes in fabricating dentures. Denturist is not responsible for making any type of diagnosis or carrying out any other treatment (e.g. Removing teeth). 

Desensitization
    A procedure to reduce the sensitivity of teeth. 

Diagnosis
    The process of identifying dental disease. 

Diastema
    The space in between two adjacent teeth. 

Distal
    A direction indication in the mouth. It indicates the direction away from the middle of the jaw. 

Edentulous
    No teeth. 

Endodontics
    A department of dentistry involves diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental pulp (where the nerves and blood vessels inside the tooth). 

Eruption
    The process of the tooth appearing in the mouth. 

Excision
    The action of cutting something off. 

Filling
    A restoration places on a tooth to restore its function and appearance. 

Flipper
    A temporary denture to replace missing teeth during the waiting period for long term treatment. 

Floss
    A thread/tape goes in between teeth for cleaning. 

Fluoride
    A compound of fluorine (an element) which be put in different forms such as water, gels, rinses to strengthen up teeth. 

Fluoride Treatment
    Teeth treat with fluoride agents like gel or rinse. It helps to prevent tooth decay. 

Framework
    A metal skeleton of a removable partial denture to support the false teeth and the plastic attachments. 

Gingivitis
    The mildest form of gum disease: inflammation of gum. The earliest sign is bleeding gum. 

Hemorrhage
    Bleeding 

Homeostasis
    Stop bleeding. 

Impaction
    A condition that a tooth is not able to come in normally or stuck underneath another tooth or bone. 

Implant
    A device (usually "screw-like") put in the jaw bone to support a false tooth, a denture or a bridge. 

Impression
    A mold taken by some jelly-like material loaded on a tray. 

Incisal
    The cutting edge of front teeth. 

Incisor
    The four upper and lower front teeth. 

Inlay
    A restoration (usually is gold, composite or ceremics) fabricated in the lab cements on tooth like a missing puzzle. It helps to restore the normal function and outlook of the tooth. 

Interproximal
    The space in between two adjacent teeth. 

Lingual
    The side of the tooth towards the tongue. 

Mesial
    The side of the tooth towards the middle of the jaw. 

Molar
    The last 3 upper and lower teeth on both side of the mouth. 

Mouthguard
   A device to be worn in the mouth. Depends on the design of it, it prevents injury on teeth and/or jaw during teeth grinding or sport events. 

Nightguard
    A mouthguard which is worn at night time. 

Occlusal
    The biting surface of the back teeth. 

Occlusion
    The way how the upper and lower teeth close together. 

Onlay
    A restoration covers the entire biting surface of a tooth. 

Open bite
    The situation that the upper teeth not able to contact the opposing lower teeth. 

Orthodontics
    A special field in dentistry which involves diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of bite abnormalities or facial irregularities. 

Over bite
    The overlap of upper teeth and lower teeth when they close together. 

Overhang
    The portion of filling material that hangs beyond the border of the cavity. 

Palate
    The roof of the mouth. 

Panoramic Radiograph
    An x-ray film to obtain the wide view of upper and lower jaw and their associated structures. 

Perforation
    An opening on a tooth or other oral structure. 

Periapical
    The surrounding of the bottom of the root of a tooth. 

Periodontics
    A specialty of dentistry involves diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of supporting unit of teeth. 

Permanent teeth
    Adult's teeth. The first permanent tooth usually comes in around 6 years old. 

Pin
    A piece of "nail-like" metal. It usually is used for better retention of a filling. 

Polish
    A process to make the tooth or filling or other denture smooth and glossy. 

Pontic
    The false tooth in a bridge or denture to replace the missing tooth. 

Post
    A big pin which can be made with different materials such as metal or carbon. Its function usually is to support a big buildup on a tooth. 

Posterior
    Locate at the back. 

Pre-authorization
    An approval from the particular authority (usually insurance company in dentistry) before any action (treatment) is carried out. 

Pre-medication
    Medication needs to be taken before treatment. 

Premolar
    The two teeth located in front of the molar. 

Prescription
    A written statement (from a doctor to a pharmacist) regarding the type, the amount and direction of the use of a medication for a patient. In dentistry, prescription can also be a written statement on preparation of an appliance from a dentist to a lab technician 

Primary teeth
    Baby teeth. 

Prophylaxis/prophy
    The procedure of teeth polishing. It also means the prevention of diseases. 

Prosthesis
    An artificial part to replace missing teeth and their associated structures. 

Prosthodontics
    A specialty of dentistry involves diagnosis, treatment planning, and fabrication of artificial parts to replace missing teeth and their associated structures. 

Pulp
    The inner most part of a tooth. It contains nerves and blood vessels inside a tooth. 

Pulpectomy
    The removal of the whole pulp inside a tooth. 

Pulpotomy
    The removal of the top part of the pulp inside a tooth. 

Radiograph
    An x-ray picture. 

Recall
    The regular checkup and teeth cleaning appointment. 

Recementation
    The process of "glue" the appliance/prosthesis back on the associated area. 

Restoration
    An item a dentist uses to restore the normal function of a tooth or an area in the mouth. It can be a filling, a crown, a bridge, etc. 

Retainer
    A device used for maintaining the position of teeth in the jaw inorthodontic treatment. 

Retreatment
    The process of repeating the root canal treatment. 

Root
    The bottom part of tooth. It anchors the tooth to its supporting units. 

Root canal
    The canal that runs inside the root of the tooth. It contains the nerves and blood vessels inside the tooth. 

Root canal treatment
    A treatment for the root canal inside the tooth. Click here to see details. 

Root planing
    The action of cleaning on the root area of teeth. 

Rubber dam
    A rubber sheet that fits around teeth. It isolates the treatment area from the rest of the oral cavity. 

Scaling
    The action of cleaning of teeth below the gumline. 

Sealant
    A thin layer of plastic-like material covers the grooves and pits on a tooth to prevent cavity. 

Sedation
    The use of medication to calm down a patient. 

Space Maintainer
    An appliance to maintain the space in between teeth. 

Splint
    An appliance or a material to prevent movement of a mobile part.

Tempromandibular Joint (TMJ)
    The joint that links two jaws. 

Torus
    An outgrowth on bone. It usually develops on the roof of the mouth or around the premolar area on the lower jaw. 

Veneer
    A layer of tooth-colored material (can be porcelain, composite, or ceramics) attaches to the front of the tooth. It is usually for better outlook of the tooth. 

Wisdom tooth
    The eighth (also the last tooth) tooth from the middle of the jaw. 

Xerostomia
    Dry mouth